


Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

by phendrifts



Series: Heritors of Fate [2]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Crime Drama, F/M, Gen, Origin Story Kind Of, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, attempting to give galea an interesting character, author doesn't know science terminology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26238886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phendrifts/pseuds/phendrifts
Summary: Zanza and Meyneth, when they were simply man and woman of flesh and blood.A prequel story about mankind taking one step closer to the divine.
Relationships: Galatea | Galea/Klaus, Meyneth/Zanza (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Series: Heritors of Fate [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904191
Comments: 12
Kudos: 23





	1. The Proposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this work is a part of a series, but reading [return to the sentient genesis](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25723249/chapters/62461030) is not required.

The rain poured over the streets of New Phocis as Galea ducked into the train station, coffee in one hand, suitcase in the other. The dreaded sight of train doors closing greeted her as she turned into the platform, leaving her alone and as bitter as the coffee she took a long sip out of.

She sighed, taking a seat on one of the nearby benches and placing her case on the floor next to her. The phone in her pocket rang, and in one swift movement she answered it and brought it up to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Galea! Good morning!” Came a cheery voice from the other end of the line. “On the train?”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m going to be a little late.” Galea two fingers against her temple, inhaling sharply. “Do you think you could cover the first few minutes of class until I get there?”

“Didn’t you get that email this morning? Our whole department isn’t teaching today.”

“Oh, gosh. Really?” Galea leaned back into the bench and sighed. “I was in such a hurry this morning, I didn’t check my work emails. Thanks for telling me, Klaus.”

“Not a problem. I’ll catch you when you arrive, alright?” Klaus said his goodbyes, hanging up the phone. 

The train ride to campus was the same as it always was. The beautiful urban landscape of New Phocis had become merely a teacher’s daily backdrop to a 45 minute long playlist of music as Galea put her earphones in and stared out the window. 

The city was never one for loud urban monuments such as gigantic statues and strangely shaped modern art museums. As much as Galea appreciated this, there was a much more… obnoxious testament to human achievement in the center of the city. 

The Beanstalk I had been built by an organization called Aoidos after the excavation of some type of strange artifact in Africa a few months ago. It was almost frightening how quickly they amassed not only the funds, but worldwide government approval to build  _ three _ Beanstalks, which were spread across the world. Construction began and was completed almost just as quickly. A couple of months ago, the president of Aoidos made a speech about the Beanstalks, calling them ‘a proud beacon of hope for the future of mankind’, but all Galea saw was huge waste of time and money. As far as she was concerned, Aoidos was a massive government scam that somehow managed to charm the entire world with whatever they found in Africa those few months ago.

Some schoolchildren pressed their faces up against the window, looking out towards the Beanstalk. 

“I heard they have a huge space elevator in there!” 

“Woooooow… that’s so amazing! I hope I get to see inside of it one day!”

Galea rolled her eyes and pushed her earbuds in further. 

* * *

Galea arrived on campus to a large crowd in front of her department building. 

“Oh, good morning, Professor Galea.” A student waved at her from a small distance. “Classes are cancelled today, and I didn’t even know.” 

“Me neither, Eirika. What’s with all of this commotion, by the way?” She gestured her coffee hand towards the large crowds of people. 

The blue-haired girl merely shrugged. “These reporters been here since morning, ma’am. I think there are some talks about some Aoidos scientists coming to the school.” She winced as soon as the words were out of her mouth, aware of her teacher’s… complicated feelings on the company.

“Are you serious? First, they’re all over TV, and now, they’ve invaded campus. I’m getting tired of those self-serving…” Galea stopped herself short with a long sip of her coffee, tossing the cup into the trash can nearby. “Sorry, Eirika, I have to go in. Say hi to your brother for me, okay?”

“Sure thing, ma’am!” The student called as the professor disappeared into the crowd. 

To Galea’s surprise, she stepped into a mostly empty building. The sound of naught but her footsteps was almost unsettling to her as she strolled down a hallway surrounded in glass panes. 

“Galea!” A blonde haired man came up behind her, wearing a lab coat that stretched down to his knees. His hair was, (as usual, Galea thought) disheveled, like he had just gone to a car wash and had mistaken it for a hair salon. 

“Where is everyone, Klaus?” 

Klaus pointed a hand down the hallway. “Everyone’s been waiting for you to arrive in the meeting room. C’mon, let’s go.” 

The two walked through the hall until they arrived at a small wooden room at the edge of the building. Klaus opened the door and allowed Galea to walk in ahead of him while he shut the door behind them. 

“It’s an honor to  _ finally _ meet you, Professor.” She was greeted by a man in a black suit at the front of the room, who gestured for her to sit down. As she moved to be seated next to Klaus, a small symbol on the man’s chest caught her eye- a shield with a lyre on it, the symbol of Aoidos. How could she forget it? It was plastered on the side of that stupid Beanstalk on her way to work. 

“Alright,” the man continued. “Now that everyone is here, I think we can begin. Welcome, Tiresias University’s Department of Astrophysics and Cosmic Sciences. My name is Professor Rustes, and I’m from Aoidos, and as you are all well aware, we have built a Beanstalk in New Phocis- a marvel in both technological and scientific achievement.”

Galea scoffed. Under the table, she kicked Klaus’ leg as to give him a look that said  _ “Can you believe this guy?” _

Klaus, however, didn’t turn. His eyes and ears only had one object of attention, and it seemed that he had completely ignored him. Galea leaned back into her seat with a slouch and a knowing sigh.

Klaus may have  _ looked _ like an eager lapdog to anyone he was talking to at any given point, but Galea knew him as a performer, a showman who put on a different mask when he was around people he was looking to impress. And now, though Klaus looked as if he was very engaged with the words of this Aoidos professor, it was not a dismissal of Galea’s attempt to communicate. On the contrary, he was sending out a signal of his own, one that said  _ “There’s something to be gained here.”  _

Galea trusted Klaus’ judgement. The two had been friends ever since their  _ own _ college years, and though he could be... aloof sometimes, his intelligence was nothing to joke about. Klaus could practically smell out opportunity when it was near, while Galea was the one responsible for keeping his ambitions in check. 

“And such, I am looking for the best of you, those that strive for something even higher than greatness, because Aoidos needs great minds such as yourselves in order to achieve our goals. Our research will change the very foundation in which our world is based on!” 

_ And now the crazy space recruiter was shouting.  _ Galea sighed.  _ Great. _

“Now, before we go any further, I’d like to mention that the job I’d like to offer you means living in the wonderfully curated housing district we have built on Rhadamanthus: Elysium. I understand if anyone has any reservations to not want to leave their life in New Phocis. However, I assure you that all of our employees will be housed and payed for. If there is anyone who is not at all interested in doing so, I ask for you to leave this room promptly.” 

A few of Galea’s colleagues nodded to each other, and then stood up out of their chairs and walked out of the room. The professor turned to talk to his men, seemingly to prepare the ‘briefing’ part of the presentation. In the commotion, Galea tapped Klaus on the shoulder and whispered “Hey, wise guy. You’re not seriously telling me you want us to take the job.”

“Galea, come on. We’re both living in single bedroom apartments on the bare minimum wage this school’s allowed to give us. Doesn’t living up in space sound at least a little exciting?”

“No, Klaus, it doesn’t! We don’t even know what Aoidos wants us to research. The government has even kept their findings secret for them. How am I supposed to trust these guys?”

“It was important enough to the government so that they could build those Beanstalks as soon as possible, wasn’t it? Come on, have a little faith in me, Galea. I know the thought of working with Aoidos makes your blood boil- and believe me, I’m not thrilled either, okay? We might never have a chance like this again, Galea. So please.” 

The silver haired woman just shook her head. “You better be right about this, Klaus.” 

“I wouldn’t risk inciting your wrath any day of the week.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, welcome to the next story in heritors of fate, a collection of intertwining storylines throughout the xenoblade universe. this may be a prequel to xenoblade 1+2, but i hope i can still deliver some satisfying surprises. thank you very much for reading, and i hope you enjoy.


	2. Meeting of the Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galea gets a late-night visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter look familiar? yeah, sorry about that. i *really* wasn't satisfied with the original draft for the second chapter, and i absolutely could not continue with this story if i still had that hanging over me this whole time. so i rewrote the whole thing from scratch. even if you've read the original 2nd chapter, i highly recommend you read this one, as there are some pretty major differences to the story i'm making. 
> 
> (p.s chapter 3 won't take that long after this one, sorry!)

Galea sighed and ran over to the knocking at the door. “What is it, Klaus? It’s la…” Galea’s voice trailed off as she saw who was on the other side.

“Ah, Professor Galea. I trust you’ve been well since we’ve last met?” The older woman tilted her shades down to meet her student’s eyes.

Galea’s old teacher, Professor Sue Majima, had found herself outside her student’s apartment door. It had been seven years since Galea had last studied under her, but she had continued to ask her for guidance and advice even after graduating, looking up to Professor Majima as a mentor and a trusted friend. 

However, it had been almost a full year since Galea had last seen her professor, as the latter had been away from New Phocis since the last winter. Professor Majima had not given a timeframe for when she would return, but the younger professor had found this a standard- Majima had a very particular way of going about things. 

“Of course, professor! I didn’t know that you were back from your trip… can I get you some tea?” Galea moved to allow her inside. “My room’s been a mess lately, I’ve been packing a lot for… reasons, but we can discuss that later.” 

“That would be lovely, thank you.” The professor entered the apartment, placing down her suitcase on the coffee table in her student’s living room and sitting down in the sofa, her usual spot.

“I’ll be right with you!” Galea called from the kitchen, fumbling around with the stovetop that she _swore_ she had gotten fixed a few months ago. After a little while, the silver-haired woman appeared in the room and took a seat in the chair opposite the sofa. 

“What brings you in, professor? It’s not always you show up uninvited.”

Professor Majima stared outside the balcony window, her eyes moving as if searching for something in the distance. “Yes, it has been a little while, hasn’t it?” 

“...Professor? Are you alright?” Galea glanced outside the window. “Do you… want me to close the blinds?”

“Yes, yes, I think that would do just fine, Galea. Thank you.” 

Galea got up and shut the blinds, and returned to her seat with a sigh. “Okay. So, as I was saying, why’ve you decided to drop in today?” 

Professor Majima kept her gaze to the balcony, becoming even more steely with the blinds having been closed. “I’ve heard you’ve taken up a job offer from Aoidos. I’d say becoming a government lapdog isn’t befitting of you.” 

“Oh, um, well, that’s-” Galea stammered, trying to come up with a defense for herself, but only found herself with a defeated sigh. “I know, professor. It wasn’t _entirely_ my decision, however…” 

“So, you’re still working with that Klaus boy, hm?” Professor Majima finally turned, preying on the opening Galea had made for herself. “I’m surprised he hasn’t driven you away with his mad schemes and all, yet. And this Aoidos job is certainly one of his maddest schemes yet, might I add.” 

“What can I say? I trust him a great amount, professor. He told me that what I could find up there could finally be the breakthrough I need in my research.” 

“Ah, yes. I remember. A perfect artificial intelligence, is that correct?” 

Galea nodded. “No computer in the world can come close to handling all the programs I’ve devised- but I’m still looking for workarounds. I’m starting to think nothing short of infinite energy could solve my plight, honestly. And, if it really is true, professor, I’d do anything to see my dreams come to fruition. Wouldn’t any self-respecting scientist do the same?” 

Her teacher laughed, and Galea felt comfort knowing that her old mentor was still down there behind the wall she had put up between them. 

“That boy’s lit a fire under you, eh? That’s good! A good relationship is founded on the ability to push each other to greater heights.” 

“Ah- professor, you know that we’re… not in a relationship, right?” Galea interjected. “It’s not like that man’s got anything else in his head besides his crazy schemes, anyway.” 

“Oh, whatever you say.” The professor waved the thought away. “Why don’t you get us some tea before we can get down to the reason why I’m here.” 

“Right!” Galea leapt to her seat and dashed to the kitchen.

As her student prepared the tea, Professor Majima stood up and walked towards the balcony, taking one last peer outside the window. The night was pitch black, but she seemed like she had to make absolute certain that whatever she was looking for was there. As if her suspicions were put to rest, she walked over back to her seat on the couch, just in time for Galea to rush in with a small platter of two teacups and a teapot. 

* * *

“As you know,” the teacher sat down her teacup as she brought her hands to her knees. “I left the city last year.” 

Galea nodded- though that was the extent of her knowledge on her professor’s venture. 

“Along with a number of other scientists of international renown, we teamed up with some archaeologists to excavate a source of incredible energy that was detected in Africa some few years ago, but they were never able to pinpoint the exact location. Until now.”

Galea’s eyes widened. “Hold on a sec, Professor. You mean you were on…?” 

Professor Majima nodded. “Yes. One year ago, I worked with Aoidos to excavate an extraordinary artifact. It was something beyond any of the research team’s expectations. It was a huge object, dwarfing the likes of you and me. And we all agreed that it had to be otherworldly.” 

“Otherworldly?!” Galea stammered. “That can’t be possible, professor. We’ve scanned the surrounding planetary systems ages ago, we’ve determined that there couldn’t have been any life, intelligent or otherwise--” 

“Our surrounding _planetary_ systems, yes.” Professor Majima rubbed her chin. “It’s all just speculation, really, but… once you eliminate the impossible, then whatever remains…”

“However, improbable, must be the truth, yeah, yeah, I know. But what makes you think it’s otherworldly? And what ‘other world’ could it have even came from?” 

“That… I cannot say. Or rather, I’m sworn to secrecy on it. By Aoidos themselves.” 

Galea’s face was stricken with panic. “Sworn to.. secrecy? Then why are you telling _me_ this, professor?! This is classified information- You could be in serious trouble for this, professor! They could come after you-- they could--”

“Which is why this _has_ to stay between us, Galea.” Professor Majima nodded. “I understand the risks that I took in order to be here, but I don’t have time to explain the why. I need to give you this information if you’re going to be working with Aoidos, if you’re going to be working with the Antiquity.”

Galea stared into her professor’s eyes, who only seemed to be pleading back at her. This was her old mentor coming to _her_ for assistance for the first time in her life. What was she supposed to do? 

“Galea, you are the only person I can trust with this information. Please, if it’s the last thing I do, I need you to trust me and listen to what I have to say.” 

_I trust Professor Majima. Just like I do Klaus. I’ll hear her out._ Galea took a deep breath and sat back into her chair, her chin resting on her hand. “Professor, I don’t know what you intend to wrap me up into, but…” 

The silver haired scientist reluctantly nodded. “I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.” 

The professor bowed her head. “Thank you, Galea.”

“So,” Galea sighed. “You mentioned the ‘Antiquity.’ Is that what it’s called? The artifact you found in Africa?” 

“Yes, that’s the shorthand that we’ve been using for it. Again, our time with it was brief, and the research that my team conducted is larval, at best. The Antiquity precedes humanity, Galea. I’m certain it will outlast us, too.”

“What makes you say that?”

“It’s Aoidos. I don’t know what they’re planning on doing with it, but any company, least of all a _privatized_ one, shouldn’t have their hands on the power that the Antiquity provides. It very well could be what you’re looking for, Galea-- infinite energy.” The professor sank back into the couch, pinching together the skin of her forehead. “People get power hungry with this type of power. What happens if they decide to create a weapon with the Antiquity, Galea? What happens if they turn the barrel of the gun towards the international government?” 

Galea finally saw the gravity of the situation in all of its entirety. “So that’s why you’re telling me… you want me to monitor the Antiquity, is that it? While I’m up on the Beanstalk?” 

The teacher nodded. “That’s exactly it.”

“There’s just one problem, professor: I don’t even know if I’m going to be assigned to work with the Antiquity. Aoidos has kept us extremely in the dark about these things-- there’s no way to know if I’ll even have a chance at getting to it.” 

Professor Majima shook her head. “It does not matter whether or not you’ll be assigned to the Antiquity. As soon as you catch wind that Aoidos intends to do something out of line with the Antiquity, you _have to_ play a part in stopping it, Galea.” 

“But, professor…”

“And there’s one last thing. If you do need end up getting closer to the Antiquity than imagined, I need you to do something for me. I need you to activate it.” 

“Huh? Activate it?” Galea asked, bewildered. “How do you expect me to know how to activate it? I haven’t even seen it yet!

“If I’m right about you, Galea, you’ll know how when the time is right. I don’t know myself, to be honest with you, but I know you can do it.” Professor Majima took a phone out of her pocket to check the time. “It looks like my time here is up, Galea. Any longer, and Aoidos will come looking-- and I can’t risk them terminating you from the job.” 

The professor stood up and prepared to leave.

“Wait, professor!” Galea said. “You’ve barely told me anything! What happens if I activate the Antiquity? What does the Antiquity even look like?” 

Galea stood behind her professor, who already had one hand on the door. 

“I’m giving you one final gift, Galea. That briefcase I left on your coffee table. It contains everything I know about the Antiquity. I need you to take care of it for me.” The professor opened the door and strolled out of the apartment, leaving Galea alone.

Galea watched the door shut and slumped on the floor, her head flooding with the questions she never got to ask. The briefcase on the table cast a shadow on the apartment floor to the right of her. She turned her eyes elsewhere.

_Why me, professor? Why am I the only person who could have carried this burden?_

* * *

A knock on the door came the next morning. Groaning, Galea pulled herself off the couch, in the same clothes she had fallen asleep in the night previous. Another knock, louder and more impatient. She sighed as she opened the door.

“Whozzit?” 

“Galea!” Klaus’ strong voice did nothing to wake her up more. “I heard the news about Professor Majima right now. I’m so sorry.” 

“Huh?” Galea rubbed her eyes. “About Professor Majima? What about her?” 

“So, you haven’t heard the news…” Klaus sighed. “You want to sit down for this, Galea.”

“Why? What happened?” Galea filled with dread as she gestured Klaus in, sitting opposite him on the couch as he took a deep breath.”

“Yesterday, past midnight, she was reported as dead in the Sixth Division residential district.”

“ _Dead?_ ” She stared. “Professor Majima is… is…” She didn’t know if she ever finished the sentence, but it was of little consequence. The word pounded in her head, over and over. _Dead_. 

She had only seen her last night, and it had been the first time in over a year. Professor Majima had overseen her through her university years, and even beyond as she pursued her personal projects and even started teaching herself. 

It felt… foreign. She was there, she even had tea with Galea, just yesterday, less than 24 hours had passed since she was still talking, breathing, _living_. “I… I don’t know what to say, Klaus.” 

“You don’t have to say a word, Galea.” Klaus nodded. “I’m here as your friend to support you. I know how much Professor Majima…” he refrained from speaking any further. 

Galea’s first tear dropped as she looked down at the floor. She had left Galea the night before with a million questions, and she had left Galea a million more. The scientist felt directionless, and lost, and…

“I know, I know.” Klaus moved next to Galea, putting an arm around the crying woman. “It’s okay to cry.”

Minutes passed. Galea looked up at the briefcase on her coffee table, the one her teacher had left her, her ‘final gift.’ Did she know? Was her own professor aware of her fate?

Galea knew she would never find out. Moving Klaus, she reached over and grabbed the briefcase bringing it into her lap, opening it slowly as she wiped her tears away, though that didn’t stop more from taking their place. 

“What is this?” Klaus inquired, watching a stack of papers reveal itself inside the suitcase. “This looks like… it looks like her handwriting…” 

“These must be her research notes, Klaus. She was here last night- just last night, Klaus and she wanted me to have these. These are about the Antiquity…” She laughed, though perhaps she shouldn’t have. “She wanted me to… she wanted me to keep watch of it once we got onto the Beanstalk. Isn’t that silly, Klaus? How am I… How am I supposed to...” She laughed again, her grip slipping. Klaus moved to shut the briefcase and move it away from her.

“Galea…”

“I don’t know what she wanted me to do, Klaus…” Galea cried. “And now she’ll never get to tell me. Never get to tell me anything. All I have… are these stupid notes.” 

“Maybe she’s trying to teach you something from beyond the dead. Through the notes, I mean.” Klaus gestured down towards the briefcase in his lap. 

Galea stared at Klaus for a second, and laughed again, each hiccup more sad than the last. She punched him, or attempted to punch him, on the shoulder. 

“You’re bad at making people feel better, you know that?”

“Sorry, sorry…” Klaus bowed his head. “I’ve never had to do this sort of thing before, that’s all.” 

“Then you’re one of the lucky ones, I suppose.” Galea sniffled. “But maybe you’re right. Who knows? The old lady might have left something for me in here.” 

“Will going through her notes make you feel any better, Galea?” 

“...I dunno. I feel like garbage right now, but it’s not like anything I find in here is gonna make me feel any worse.”

“It’s up to you, Galea.” Klaus put the briefcase on the table. “I’m gonna get you some tissues first, though.”

“Hehehe… hahahahaha… you go do that, scientist boy.” She laughed as Klaus got up and left the room. Her eyes fell on the briefcase again, standing imposingly on the living room coffee table. She sighed and took a deep breath, the tears still running down her face. 

_Yeah, yeah. I know you want me to get to work, but let me cry a little, won’t you? You big jerk. You’ll never let me rest for a second until I get to the Antiquity, I just know it. If that’s the way it’s going to be, then fine. I’ll do your stupid dirty work, professor. Just… just let me have this, even if it’s just for a little while._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, i apologize for having to re-do this chapter, but this is definitely the *exception* not the rule. the original second chapter (which i guess, if you want to read it, you can find it [here](https://twitter.com/thearcanaxii/status/1308868089228951552?s=20)) was simply not of a quality i was satisfied with, and is the main reason why making a continuation of this took so long. i hated it, and i couldn't build off of something i hated.


	3. Find A Way Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galea and Klaus reconcile what they've found, and where to go from here.

Klaus raised the papers over his head, squinting. The research notes that Professor Majima had left behind for Galea were practically indecipherable. They were based on the premise that the Antiquity was sent from a higher power, something that was simply inconceivable to Klaus.

A few feet away, Galea was intently watching the report that played out on TV.

_“Today, New Phocis mourns the loss of Professor Sue Majima, a professor who needs no introduction. In the pursuit of knowledge concerning worlds beyond our comprehension, she developed multiple scientific theories that will go down in history, along with her incredible legacy._

_First responders that arrived on the scene reported that the professor had peacefully passed in her sleep at the untimely age of 64.”_

Klaus looked over as the TV buzzed off. Galea picked up a tissue from the box on the table and blew into it.

“I still don’t believe it.” She sniffled. “The professor looked like she was in perfect health when she saw me last night.”

“Well, I guess we’ll never know what happened.” Klaus yawned as he tossed the papers onto the coffee table. “And we’ll also never know what’s up with all these notes, either. Was Professor Majima always into all of this, you know, theology stuff?” 

“Whaddya mean?” Galea stood up and sat next to her partner on the couch as Klaus picked up a page and began to explain.

“Look here- she talks about this world like our own, attempting to communicate with us through the Antiquity. Like it’s some kind of divine phone.” He tapped the paper and continued. “Not to mention, everything about this ‘Antiquity’ is coming so far out of left field. Like this bit about infinite energy-- there’s no way that’s possible, right? Surely our late professor was a few peas short of a pod when she wrote these.”

“Oh, there’s no way it’s completely unreadable. You’re just stingy; here, lemme see those.” She shoved Klaus away. 

But, to Galea’s dismay, Klaus had been right. The papers were filled with extensive notes, not only just about the Antiquity, but long theories and conjecture about this parallel world, what she dubbed the “Upper Domain”, where divine beings desired to communicate with the mortal world, or “Lower Domain”. 

“She did mention that Aoidos was keeping her quiet on _how_ exactly she acquired all of this info, but that means she must have had some kinda proof, right?”

“I guess. Have you ever considered that she might’ve been lying about all of this stuff? I mean, I don’t like Aoidos as much as you do, don’t get me wrong. But surely they wouldn’t have just let her run her mouth like that.”

The two sat in silence for a bit, the buzz of the ceiling fan keeping the pressing atmosphere of recent events at bay. Suddenly, Klaus turned his head quickly, to meet his colleague’s gaze.

“What if they _didn’t_ let her run her mouth like that?”

“Um, what exactly are you suggesting, Klaus?” The scientist noticed the familiar glint in his eyes as he spoke.

“What if Professor Majima didn’t just go peacefully… but was _murdered?_ ”

The sentence hung in the air. Galea stared at Klaus, trying to read if he was in fact insinuating what she thought he was.

“....Huh? Come on, be serious. The reports say that witnesses found her peacefully in her sleep.”

“But that’s just reports. They can be fabricated, they can be lies-- they didn’t show the body, did they?”

Galea rolled her eyes. “Klaus, they’re not going to show the _dead body_ of a woman on _television._ ”

“The _point,_ Galea, is that we are giving Aoidos the benefit of the doubt that they don’t deserve. Don’t say you’re not entertaining the idea in that head of yours! I can see from the way you look at me that you think I’m right, don’t you?”

“You’re running your mouth wild again.” Galea turned her gaze to the wall in exasperation. “But yeah, there’s a chance you could be right. I do suppose it’s possible for them to have covered it up. So what are _we_ supposed to do about it?”

“Well, all there is to it is to follow the trail that our late professor left behind!” Klaus stood up triumphantly. “Come now, Galea. The game is afoot!”

“Do you honestly think that we could find the killer? Honestly Klaus, I don’t know what we hope to gain fr-- woah, woah!” The blond scientist had taken her hand and pulled her off the couch, standing right in front of him.

“We’re a team, Galea. If we can find a way to decipher these research notes by finding someone connected to the professor, we could fulfill her last wishes. Isn’t that what you want?”

Galea’s face turned a slight shade of red as she averted her eyes from her colleague’s earnest gaze. “I suppose… that would be beneficial.” 

“C’mon, go get ready to leave. I’ll try to get a lead on who we should be looking for while you go take a shower or whatever.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going.” Galea disappeared into the hallway behind the living room. 

Klaus walked over to the wall and leaned against it as he swiped his phone out from his pocket to start their search.

_Let’s see here… where to start? Professor Majima taught at Tiresias University for over 20 years. I guess we could start with some work colleagues- they’re probably some of the last people to speak to her. Oh, actually, the professor really was working on that excavation trip, she definitely would’ve had some special help._

Klaus tapped the phone against his palm as he thought some more. _That team was probably full of people from all over the world, so they’re probably not here, in New Phocis. I guess it doesn’t hurt to check, though._ He unlocked his phone as his fingers flew across the screen.

_aoidos excavation march 20XX_

The first few articles that showed up had some quotes from the team that worked on the dig, but he couldn’t place a name. _Okay, it was worth a shot. Aoidos only really makes public statements with the same faces every time they’re in the news._

_professor sue majima_

Disregarding the news published this morning following the news of the professor’s death, there was some things of legitimate note to be found, and the scientist was able to find a name and a face pretty quickly-- Clive Andall, a younger professor, looking to be a few years older than Klaus and Galea. He apprenticed to become a teacher under Professor Majima’s guidance, and had been assisting her properly as a lab assistant for the past five or so years. _Sounds like a good enough place to start for me._

Galea popped her head out of the bathroom into the hallway. “Klaus, can we stop by some place to eat breakfast first? We’ve been at this research stuff all morning.”

“Fine,” The blond scientist waved a hand without turning to face her. “We can go get breakfast and _then_ we’ll be in our way.”

“You’re paying!” Galea yelled as her head disappeared into the bathroom.

“If you take the bill, I’ll pay for gas!” He called.

He heard the faint sound of the shower starting, a sign that his plea would go unanswered. Klaus sighed and sank back into the couch in defeat, searching up their new lead. “Fine.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thank you for reading! sorry once again for the sporadic updates. i'm currently busy with [xenotober 2020](https://twitter.com/monado_zine/status/1304845408804499456?s=20), but i promise i am still working on other things! writing every day has become a bit larger of an undertaking than i originally expected.


	4. Hittin' The City Streets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation begins.

Klaus’ car pulled out into the street, the two scientists in tow. Galea stared out the window to a dreary city, the Beanstalk towering in the distance. The afternoon was the busiest time of day, hundreds of people moving to and from work and school, trying to get to a place they could spend their short breaks. 

“So,” Klaus began, lowering the volume of the radio. “We’re looking for one Clive Andall. Old acquaintance of the professor. Sound familiar to you?” 

“Oh, yeah. I know Clive.” Galea took a bite out of her breakfast sandwich. “Was an old TA for Professor Majima back at university. You’ve probably seen him, too- he was always tagging along behind her in between classes.” 

“That does sound familiar. Well, it’s good that you’re familiar with him. You can spare me the introductions and we can get down to business.” Klaus looked over at Galea. “Can you pass me whatever you got me?” 

“Hmm?” Galea asked through a mouthful of food. “Oh, this is it. I didn’t know you were hungry.” 

“You- Oh, whatever.” Klaus turned his eyes back to the road. 

The blinding lights of the billboards were nothing but a distraction to the city regulars, but Galea noticed a bunch of awe-struck groups crowding around Alyzer Street as the car passed through the center of the city. 

“Tourists still around? Thought visiting season was over.” She tapped her thumb to the glass to direct Klaus’ gaze. 

“Mm. Well, I imagine that Beanstalk there isn’t something to be ignored. Only three of them in the world, after all, so it’s naturally a giant tourist spot- and it means Aoidos gets some free publicity, too.” The blond grunted as he made a tight turn around a street corner. “Although it just means more traffic for us.” 

“Only three of them in the world, huh.” Galea stared. “And somewhere up there is the Antiquity.” 

“Allegedly. We still don’t know whether or not Aoidos is housing it in the low orbit station yet.”

“Didn’t you say you thought we’d be working on something important? That’s why we took the job in the first place, anyway. Oh, hey, do you want a bite?” Galea waved her sandwich in front of her coworker. 

Klaus leaned over to eat, trying to keep his eyes on the road and speaking through bites. “Well, yes, I think it’s likely that we’ll be working on the Antiquity, but we  _ have _ been kept in the dark about the job for a reason. There could be something even greater that we don’t know of yet.

“I doubt it. If Aoidos really took all that time and effort to dispose of the professor like that- and that’s, once again, assuming that they really did- then the Antiquity has to be a bigger deal than those notes let on. By the way, where’d you put the suitcase?” 

Klaus threw a thumb up to point to the back of the car. “It’s in the trunk. Didn’t think we should have something important like that lying in the back seat.” 

“That’s probably for the best.”

* * *

The two arrived back at Tiresias University a few minutes later. Galea yawned, stretching her arms out to the sky as Klaus retrieved the professor’s research notes from the trunk. 

“I know they probably haven’t gotten some people to replace us yet, but do you really think it’s okay to take your old parking spot?” She mused.

“It’s not my fault-- it’s been a month since I put in my notice and my name’s still on the sign there. That means it’s still mine.”

“Whatever. Come on, morning class should be over soon.” 

The two knew the campus layout well, but the flood of students leaving their morning classes inhibited their passage. After five minutes, the duo arrived at Mr. Andall’s door, and exchanged looks with each other.

“Okay, so, what’s the game plan here?” Galea asked. “What do we even say to him?”

“We’ll wing it.” Klaus shrugged, placing a hand on the door. “If he really knows anything about the expedition, he’ll probably tell us once we tell him about the professor.”

“Wait! But what about the notes?” The girl hissed, swatting his wrist away from the handle. “We can’t just let anyone know about the--”

The door opened, revealing a young blue-haired woman staring at the both of them from inside. “Oh, hello, Professor Galea. And, um…”

“Oh, hello Eirika. I didn’t expect to see you here… This is my co-worker, Professor Klaus.”

Eirika bowed politely at the scientist. “It’s nice to meet you, professor.”

Galea smiled. “I trust you’ve been keeping up with all your classwork, yes? I hope I didn’t leave the substitute with too much work.”

“Professor Andall? He’s a great teacher. I don’t think you have to worry about him.” Eirika opened her phone, her eyes widening at the time. “Shoot, I gotta go grab lunch before my next class starts. It was nice seeing you again, professor!”

Galea waved her goodbye as Klaus peered into the room. Inside was a man not too much older than himself, with auburn hair and thick glasses. Klaus recognized him from the searching he did earlier. He waved politely as he allowed himself in.

“Mr. Andall?” 

“Ah! Hello! I’m sorry, I wasn’t really expecting any more visitors,” the teacher anxiously scrambled to get his desk in order. “I didn’t know they were sending TA’s in today.”

“Oh, no need to worry.” Klaus put up a hand. “We’re not TA’s. We’re- well, we  _ were  _ professors here, but we wanted to ask you about Professor Majima.”

Galea appeared behind her colleague, and bowed her head slightly. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Andall. I was believe it’s been a few years, you were a TA yourself back then.” 

“Oh!” Andall peered closer at the silver-haired woman from his desk. “Yes, yes. Galea, was it? You would always come after class to ask questions about the possibility of a multiverse.” 

“That was me. Professor Majima would always get annoyed if I stayed around for too long, if I remember correctly.” 

At the mere mention of her name, Andall flinched. “Professor Majima... oh, pardon my manners. Here, make yourselves at home. I have a coffee machine in the back if you’re feeling thirsty.” 

The pair politely declined, and the three professors moved to sit in the closest seats to the door.

“I heard the news this morning.” Andall began. “I couldn’t believe it. I just talked to her a few days ago, you see.”

Galea nodded. “I as well. She came to my apartment a few days ago.” 

Andall reached for the thermos at the side of his desk and took a long sip, leaning back into his office chair. “Life goes on, I suppose. You two are the first one to bring it up on campus.”

“Our apologies,” Klaus leaned in, placing the suitcase on his lap. “But we’ve come to ask a few more questions about the late professor. You see, when Galea last saw her, she mentioned that she had been away last year on a certain archaeology trip. We were wondering if you had accompanied her during that time.” 

“‘Fraid not,” The auburn pushed his glasses up. “She mentioned that she was leaving on some private business, but…” 

“But?” 

“She asked me not to tell anyone. It was confidential, if I recall correctly- sworn to secrecy by the government.”

“I have a question about the night that she visited.” Galea chimed in. “Was she acting any different than how she normally was?” 

Andall raised a curious eyebrow. “Acting different? I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.” 

“She looked paranoid when I last saw her. Like she was afraid of being watched… She made me close the blinds, and she talked quickly. I hadn’t seen her in quite a long time before she visited, so I thought that maybe something had changed in her life that I wasn’t aware of.” Galea recalled.

“Hmm… I can’t say that I remember the night very well, but as far as I know, she was acting as she always was.” 

“I see. Well, that’s okay. I guess we’re back to talking about that expedition trip.” Galea sighed. “Did she tell you any more details? Like who she was going with? Anything you can give us would be great.” 

“Well, a Nopon research team must’ve accompanied her, right? Maybe you can try asking the one here at the university.” 

“O-oh.” Galea’s face seemed to fall. “I guess we’ll do just that, thanks.” 

“And, now this is just between us, since you were one of Professor Majima’s favorites, Galea- there was an insider leaking information that the research team went on some kind of top secret government job last year, so there’s a good chance it had something to do with Professor Majima’s expedition.” 

“Thank you so much, sir.” Klaus nodded. “You’ve been a huge help to us already.”

“No problem. I still can’t say I know what’s with all the sleuthing, but I trust Galea here.” The teacher flipped his wrist to check his watch, and tapped it with his finger rapidly. “I’m sorry to cut things short here, but I got to get ready for my afternoon classes. If you have any more questions, though, I’d be sure to answer them after we’re out for the day.” 

“Thank you for your time, Professor Andall.” Klaus nodded. “We’ll surely take up on your offer if we need your assistance again.” 

After saying their goodbyes, the two ended back in the hallway as students began flooding the building once more. 

“Our only lead is that Nopon research team.” Klaus crossed his arms. “I know some colleagues on there- they’ll probably be more informative then our friend here.” 

“Do we have to go?” Galea sighed, exasperated. “Me and Nopon don’t really… pair well.”

“Come on, Galea. It’s not the end of the world.” The blond scientist laughed. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” 

* * *

A Nopon researcher tilted his glasses down as the pair walked into the lab, suitcase in tow. Galea glued her eyes to the floor while Klaus walked up directly to the most authoritative-looking Nopon, offering a hand. 

“Hello there,” Klaus said. “I’m Professor Klaus, and this is Professor Galea. You see, we have been looking into--” 

“Hush!” The Nopon spoke with a harsh tone, much to Galea’s increasing dread. “Already know why you are here. Azen can tell by look on face. Same as reporters who come in last month. Only want juicy bits of information, like ravenous wolves!” 

“Well, seeing as we’re not press, I hope you can be slightly more cooperative with us. Azen, is it? So, is there any way you can shed some light on the subject matter…?” Klaus attempted to put on his best smile. 

“Meh-meh! You think Azen just give information about secret government job to just anybody?! You insult fine research team of Nopon specialists.” Azen huffed. “World not revolve around you. Best to learn before get in serious trouble.” 

Klaus did his best to suppress any violent outbursts welling up inside of him. Galea could only stifle a laugh watching him try. 

“Please, Azen, you misunderstand.” Klaus backpedaled, reverting back to his performative self. “We have been tasked to recollect info from Professor Majima herself.” 

The blond professor took fake, worried looks to his right and left before lowering his voice to a whisper. “Listen, Azen. We work for Aoidos. We know about the Antiquity, and we know you’re the right person to talk to. Now, will you be willing to let a few things slip under the table, or will I have to call our higher ups?” 

Galea silently gawked as Klaus placed all of his chips into this bluff of cosmic proportions. It had some truth to it- but they weren’t  _ official  _ employees until they received the OK that the city atop the Beanstalk was ready for a new wave of residents. And sure, they  _ knew  _ about the Antiquity, but one slip-up would show that the extent of their understanding of it only went as far as its name.

Yet, to Galea’s utter amazement, the Nopon flinched at the empty threat and was soon reduced to a heap of pitiful stammering. “Much many sorries for rudeness, S-sir professor sir! Will gladly answer any of your special inquiries!” Azen rubbed his wings together with a fake, eager-to-please smile rivaling Klaus’ own. 

“Music to my ears, Azen. Now, where were we… ah, yes. We’d like copies of your papers from that expedition last year- full transcripts, if you please.” Klaus began counting off on his fingers items on an imaginary list. “And after that, we’d like the contact information of all the people in New Phocis involved with the project.”

Azen nodded earnestly. “Will be done before can even say Tasty Sausage!” 

* * *

Carrying two bulging folders worth of papers, Galea climbed into the passenger’s seat. “I still cannot believe that he just gave all of that to us.” 

“Well, that was the easy part.” Klaus sighed. “Now we have two options: do we see what’s going on with the Antiquity, or should we continue investigating that murder?” 

“Stop throwing the murder word around lightly.” Galea slapped his arm. “Let’s take things slow- we can go back to my apartment, try to make sense of all of this information we’ve been given.” 

“Alright, alright.” Klaus started the car and pulled out of his old parking spot. “By the way, you’re paying for dinner.” 

Galea, who had opened one of the case fils and began reading, merely rolled her eyes. “You’re not still annoyed at me, are you?”

“It’s all water under the bridge.” 

“Okay.” 

“...But you do have to pay for dinner.” 

* * *

Azen peered out of his window as the duo drove off, and returned to his workstation in silence. He picked up a phone and brought it to his ear, talking low such that the chatting from the other Nopon in the lab would drown out his voice. 

“Yes. It was as you said. Suspicious man and woman show up to research lab, ask about expedition.”

The voice on the other end of the phone spoke. “And did you give them any vital information?”

Azen hesitated, just for a moment. That was all his correspondent needed.

“...I see.” They responded. “We will be in contact again soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! thank you so much for waiting, and even more so for reading. i kinda burned myself out during xenotober, but i've had this sitting in my files for a while now and decided to release it now.


End file.
